Pump valve construction



Patented Apr. 6, 1948 PUMP VALVE CONSTRUCTION Russell R. Curtis, Dayton, Ohio, asslgnor to Curtis Pump Company, Dayton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application March 26, 1943, Serial No. 4870.646

9v claims. (C1. 137-53) This invention relates to a valve construction for pumps and the like iiuld transfer mechanisms.

, 2 ate inwardly offset portion providing an exte nal relief valve face and an internal shoulder .receiving the seat ring thereon. `The inverted Specifically, the invention relates to inexpensive by-pass and relief valve constructions that can be manufactured with relative ease as by die pressing andnstamping` sheet metal, by die casting metal or byV molding plastic material. In die `casting and molding the valve constructions of this invention readily removable cores are usable.

While the invention will be hereinafter specifically described as embodied in an aircraft fuel pump, it should be understood that the constructions of this invention are not limited to such usage. l

In aircraft fuel systems it is preferred to employ fuel pumps in series or tandem arrangements so that, in the event one of the pumps becomes inoperative, the other pump will still supply suicient fuel to the airplane engine for maintaining flight. In such installations the internal cup member is seated in the external cup member to close the open top of the external cup and to hold the seat ring on the shoulder.

The valve disk is positioned in the external cup between the closed bottom of the cup and the seat ring. The cup members have ports on opposite sides of the by-pass valve disk so that fuel can be by-passed and relieved through the cup members.

It is, then, an object of this invention to provide simple, inexpensive by-pass and relief valve pumps must have bypass means therein permitting passage of fuel through the inoperative Dump.

Further, it is also desired to maintain a constant fuel pressure at ,theV carburetor oi the airplane engine based on ambient air pressure or supercharger pressure such as exists in the intake manifold of the `engine. Since the pump may deliver iiuctuatiiig pressures it is desirable to provide, in the pumpsQ-a relief valve mechanism which will vent excess pressures back to the intake side of the pump. These relief valves can be set to maintain any desired pump pressure by means of an adjustable spring. A diaphragm ar- -rangement is also provided to be subjected to pump discharge pressure on one side thereof and ambient yair or supercharger pressure on the other side thereof. This diaphragm automatically compensates for fluctuations in the air and fuel pressures so that the discharge pressure of the pump is controlled entirely by the adjustable spring means.

According to this invention, inexpensive com- -bined relief valve and by-pass valve assemblies are made from nested members including an external cup, a by-pass valve seat ring in the cup, an inverted internal cup closing the open top of the external cup, and a by-pass valve disk in the external cup cooperating with said seat ring. The cups, seat ring and valve disk can be made from sheet metal by stamping and pressing operations. Any one or all of the parts can also be die cast or molded.

The external cup member has an intermediconstructions adapted to be stamped from sheet metal, die cast or molded.

A further object of the invention is to provide a relief valve?` member with external guide'portions at the ends thereof and a valve face intermediate said guide portions.

A further object of the invention is to provide an assembly of nested members adapted to serve as a relief valve and a seat for a by-pass valve, whileaccoxnmodating iiow of fluid therethrough,

A further object of the invention is to provide a cup-shaped member having a depression in the closed end thereof serving as a centering device for a spring-urged member.

A further object of the invention is to provide cup members in inverted, Anested relation with a seat ring therebetween to form an external relief valve and an internal by-pass valve seat together with external relief valve guide portie and a spring centering portion.

Other and further objects of the invention will be apparent to :those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the annexed sheet of drawings which, by way of preferred example only, illustrates one embodiment of the invention.

On the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a .pump equipped with a valve construction according to this invention.

l Figure 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken along the line III--III of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is 'a horizontal cross-sectional view taken along the line IV--IV of Figure 2.l

Figure 5 is an exploded vertical cross-sectional view of the relief valve and by-pass valve parts.

Figure 6 is a top plan view of the valve assembly.

Figure '1 is a fragmentary vertical cross-sec-4 designates generally la pump and valve assembly j including an open-topped pump casing II, an open-ended valve casing I2, and an open-bottomed spring casing I 3, all held together in superimposed relation by means of bolts or studs I4 extended through an outturnedange I3a of the casing I3, completely through apertures I2a.

(Figures 3 and 4) in the valve casingA I2 into tapped Well portions of the pump casing II.

The pump casing I I has an internally threaded boss I5 at one end thereof communicating with an inlet chamber I6 therein. A second internally threaded boss I1 is provided at the other end of the casing II communicating with the pump discharge chamber I8.

A sleeve I9 is pressed into the casing I I between the inlet and discharge chambers-I6 and I8 and defines, with its inner surface, a pumping chamber which is apertured at 20a to communicate With the inlet chamber I6 and at 28h to communicate with the discharge chamber I8.

A rotor 2| is eccentrically mounted for rotation within the sleeve I9 and has sliding vanes 22 cooperating with the inner surface of the sleeve to pump material from the inlet port 20a to the out- Y let port 2Ilb.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the valve casing I2 has a cylindrical chamber 23 extending inwardly from the open top thereof and having ra semi-annular port 24 in the side Wall thereof joining the interior of the chamber with passage-.-

ways 25 communicating with th'e inlet chamber I6 of the pump casing I I. llhe cylindrical chamber 23 is bottomed by an annular valve seat 26.

As best shown in Figures 2 and 4; the casing.

I2 has a second smaller cylindrical chamber 2l coaxial 'with the chamber 23 and extending beneath the seat 26 to terminate in an apertured bottom wall 28 adapted to seat on a gasket 29 which is disposed between the casings lI and I2. The chamber 21 has -a .semi-annular port 30 in the side wall thereof joining the interior of the chamber with passageways 3l communicating with the outlet chamber I8 of the pump casing I I.

Th'e casing I2 may therefore be considered as having a large cylindrical bore extending inwardly from the top thereof and terminating in a valve seat together with a smaller coaxial bore extending from said valve seat to an apertured.

bottom wall on the casing. The large bore communicates with the inlet of the pump while the smaller bore communicates with the outlet of the pump.

The bore 23 is counterbored as at 32 at the top end thereof to receive a washer 33 projecting into the chamber for a purpose to be more fully hereinafter described.

lIv'hecasing I3 is in the form of an inverted cup with an outturned flange I3a around the open end thereof. A flexible diaphragm 34 composed of synthetic rubber impregnated fabric or similar material is clamped around the periphery between the' outturned ange I3a of the casing I3 and the top of the casing I2. The diaphragm 34 overlies the washer 33 and spans the' open.

mouth of the cup I3 as Well as the open end of the bore 23.

The casing I3 has an aperture 35 in the center of the top wall thereof receiving, in free rotatable `relation,.a post member 36 with a threaded shank portion 36a extending into the casing and an outturned collar portion 36h at the top of the threaded portion 36a having a packing washer 31 thereon engaging the inner face of the top wall of the casing I3.

The post 36 extends abovethe-top wall of the casing I3 and has a threaded projecting end 36o receivingja nut 38 thereon to tighten the packing washer 31 between the collar 36h and the top Wall of the casing for preventing leakage through the 10 aperture 35. The top end of this threaded projecting portion 36h has a screwdriver slot 36d therein for rotating the member 36.

A valve spring retainer 39 is threadedonto the portion 36a of the post 36. and has a notch 39a in the periphery thereof receiving a Vertical key 48 provided on the side wall of the casing I3 so that the retainer will not rotate when the post is rotated. Rotation of the post will thus move the reainer 39 toward and away from the top end 20 of the casing I3.

The casing I3 has an internally threaded hollow boss 42 on the side wall thereof communicating with the interior of the casing for a purpose to be more fully hereinafter described. The casing being bottomed by the diaphragm 34 thus provides a chamber 43 above the casing I2 vented only through boss 42.

A second spring retainer 44 is mounted in the casing I3 and has a central dimple 44a seated in a rounded depression 45a of a washer 45 overlying the diaphragm 34.

A coiled spring 46 is positioned in the casing I3- between the retainers 39 and 44 and can be maintained under a desired compression by regulation 'of the level of the retainer 39 through manipulao be maintained.

l As shown in Figure 2,` the relief valve and bypass valve assembly of this invention includes a cup 59 slidably mounted in the casing I2 under the Washer 33, a seat ring 5I in the cup 50 bottomed on a shoulder therein, an inverted cup 52 closing the open top of the cup 58, a by-pass valve disk 53 cooperating with the seat ring 5I, a spring 54 acting on the by-pass valve disk, and a packing washer or gasket 55 between the seat ring and shoulder of the cup 58.

'As shown in Figure 5, the cup 58 'has an outturned annular ange 58a around the open end thereof with' a downturned skirt portion 50h adapted to be slidably guided by the side wall of the chamber 23 of the casing I2. A side wall 50c depends from the inner end of the flange 50a and terminates at an inwardly oiset shoulder portion 58d having an annular valve face 50e adapted to seat on the seat 26 of the casing. The

60 `side wall of the member 50 continues downwardly at a reduced diameter portion 50j from the inner end of th'e offset 50d to terminate in a, closed L bottom 50g.

As shownv in Figure 2, the reduced diameter side wall portion of the cup 50, adjacent the bottom of the cup, is slidably guided bythe aperturedefining wall in the base portion 28 of the casing. Thus the cup 50 is externally guided at both the top and bottom thereof by the side wall of the chamber 23 and the aperture of the base 28,

and has an intermediate annular valve face A plurality of ports 50h are formed in the side wall 58C of the member 50 above the offset 50d.

adapted to seat on the valve seat 26 of the casing A number of other ports 50i are also formed in the side wall portion 50j below the offset 50d.

The'ports 50h join the chamber 23 with thein.

portion of the diaphragm 34 depressed therein Y by the rounded dimple 45a on the washer 45 as shown in Figure 2. The cup 52 has three legs 52e depending from the side thereof providing three ports 52e therebetween. One of the legs 52e has a pair of kerfs or tangs 52d struck out from the sides thereof for a purpose to be more fully hereinafter described.

The seat ring 5| has a neck portion Sia adapted to fit into the reduced diameter portion 50i of the cup 50 and provide therein with its end face 5lb, a seat for the valve disk 53. The ring 5l also has an outturned top flange 5|c for seating on the gasket 55 which gasket is bottomed in the cup 50 on the shoulder or offset 50d thereof.

The coil spring 54 is compressed between the bottom 50g of the cup 50 and the valve disk 53 to urge the disk against the seat ring end face 5lb.

The inverted cup 52 fits into the top of the cup 50 with the legs 52e bottomed on the flange 5|c of the seat ring 5I. The kerfs or tangs 52d i on one of the legs 52e are provided for stradclling.

one of the legs or side wall portions 50c of the cup 50 to hold the ports 52e and 50h in alignment. As best shown in Figures' 6 and '7, the ange yElla of the cup 50 has a slot 56 therethrough on. each side of a leg or side wall portion 50c thereof to receive the outturned tangs 52d of a leg 52o. These tangs 52d `will straddle the leg 53e to prevent rotation of the inverted cup 52 in the cup 50. In assembled position, of course, the spring urged diaphragm 34 forces the inverted cup 52 into the cup 53 to hold the legs 52e on the seat ring flange 5lc and to hold this flange on the gasket 55. I f

The spring 46 acting through the diaphragm 34 urges thevalve assembly against the valve seat 26. y However, since the washer 33 is spaced slightly above the outturned flan-ge 53a of the cup 50, and since the cup 50 and the by-pass valve 53 are exposed to discharge pressures of the pump by being always in communication with the dis charge side I3 of the pump through the passageways 3l, port 30, and ports 50i, the assembly can be raised off the seat 23 to relieve pressured fluid from the discharge side ofthe pump into the chamber 23 and thence through the port 24 and passageways 25 into the inlet chamber l5 of the pump. As a result, excessive fluid from the discharge side of the pump can be recirculated back to the intake side of the pump whenever the dis charge pressure of the pump is above a desired n amount.

In the event lthe pump is inoperative and an-I other pump in series or tandem relation therewith- Y valve and a seat for a by-Pass valve.

vor to the intake manifold of an airplane engine thus placing the chamber 43 of the casing I3 under ambient air pressure or under engine manifold pressure. The top of the diaphragm 34 is thus acted on by either of these base pressures.

In airplane fuel pumps it is important that a constant selected pressure differential be established by the pump based either on surrounding ambient air pressure or engine manifoldpressure.

In order that pressure of the spring 46 can be the determining factor for maintenance of the selected pressure differential the diaphragm 34 is arranged for co-movement with the relief valve and it must therefore flex whenever the relief, valve moves. In addition the diaphragm has an effective area on one side exposed to base pres- -sure in the spring chamber 43 balanced by an equal relief valve area exposed to pump discharge pressure. Furthermore the effective area of the diaphragm exposed to pump inlet pressure' in the chamber 23, which area is determined by the rigid washer 32, and tending to move the relief valve assembly in one direction is balanced 'by an equal area on the valve assembly tending to move the assembly in the opposite direction.

The assembly of this invention is therefore balanced against compensating variations in base and pump discharge pressures as well as variations in inlet pressures and will maintain a selected pump discharge pressure differential above The pressure of the ered by the washer is ineffective 'with respect to balancing of the assembly. The inner diameter of the washer can be sized in accordance with the eective relief valveareas to produce the balanced assembly therebypermitting large tolerance limits in casing part sizes.

From the above descriptions it will be understood that this invention now provides an inexpensive bypass and relief valve construction wherein the relief valve carries the by-pass valve and spring so that this spring does not vflex in response to movements of the relief valve, Cup and ring members cooperate to provide a relief A simple flat disk provides the by-pass valve. Fluttering of the assembly is eliminated by a. dashpot arrangement obtained by seating the bottom of the cup 5D in a closed bottomed aperture or well. The assembly is externally guided both at the top and bottom thereof on side walls of chambers provided by a fixed casing part.

It will, of course, be understood that various details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention and it is, therefore, not the purpose to limit the patent granted hereon' otherwise 4than necessitated by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention: l

1. A relief and by-pass valve assembly. comprising a housing having chambers with a relief valve seat between adjacent chambers, a first cup having an outturned flange around the open end thereof with a depending skirt guided on the Wall of one chamber, said rst cup having an inwardly offset portion intermediate the ends thereof providing an internal shoulder and an external relief valveface cooperating with said relief valve seat, said first cup having a closed bottom end guided by the wall of another chamber, a second cup in said rst cup having a closed end with a rounded depression bridging the open end of the rstcup, a seat ring bottomed on the internal shoulder of the rst cup by the second cup, said ring having a rim edge providing a by-pass valve seat in the first cup, a by-pass valve in said first cup cooperating with said bypass valve seat, a spring compressed between the by-pass valve and the bottom of the rst cup urging the by-pass valve against said bypass valve seat, the side walls of the cups having ports therein joining the chambers on opposite sides of the relief valve seat with opposite sides of the by-pas's valve, and a spring-urged member having a rounded protuberance seated in the depression of the second cup to urge the relief valve against the relief valve seat.

2. A relief, and by-pass valve assembly comprising relatively inverted nested inner and outer cups, said outer cup having an inwardly offset side wall portion intermediate the ends thereof to provide an .external relief valve face, a bypass valve seat in said outer cup having a flange clamped between the oiiset portion of the outer cup and the bottom of the inner cup, and a by-pass valve in thespace between the bypass valve seat in the outer cup and the bottom of the outer cup adapted to seat on said by-pass valve seat, said cups having ports in the side walls thereofV on oe side of the inwardly offset portion and said outer cup having ports in the side walls thereof on the opposite side of the ois et` portion.

3. A combined by-pass and relief valve assembly comprising a pair of relatively inverted nested cups, the outer cup having guide surfaces at the top and bottom thereof and an intermediate portion providing an external annular relief valve, the inner cup having a closed wall bridging the open end of the outer cup with a dimple in the centerlthereof, means in said outer the exterior of the cup with the space between the bottom thereof and the by-pass valve, said outer and inner cups having aligned ports connecting the exterior of the outer cup with the interior of the inner cup, and means projecting from the side Wall ofthe inner cup into a port lof the outer cup for holding the cups against relative rotation.

4. A relief and by-pass valve assembly comprising relatively inverted nested cups, the outer Q of said cups having an internal abutment between the ends thereof, a valve seat bottomed on said abutment, means acting on the inner of said cups to hold the valve seat bottomed on the abutment, a by-pass valve in 'said outer cup urged against said valve seat, and said outer cup having an external valve face therearound.

5. A relief and by-pass valve assembly comprising relatively inverted nested inner and outery cups, said outer cup having an inwardly oifset portion intermediate the ends thereof providing `bypass valve cooperating with the rim of the collar portion of said valve seat means, and said cups having ports in the side walls thereof Joining the exterior of the outer cup with the interior ofthe assembly on opposite sides of saidl shoulder.

6. A relief and by-pass valve assembly comprising an outer cup having a flanged mouth, a side wall and a reduced diameter portion provid--r ing an internal shoulder, a seat ring having a neck portion extending into the reduced diameter portion and a flange portion bottomed on said shoulder, a valve disk for said seat ring, said side wall having ports therein separated by leg-like wall portions, said flanged mouth having slots therethrough along the sides of one leg-like wall portion, a member closing the mouth of said cup having spaced legs in the cup bottomed on the flange portion of the seat ring, and outturned tangs on a leg of said member adapted to pass through said slots to straddle aleg-like wall portion of said cup to hold the cup and member against relative rotation.

'7. In a valve assembly, an outer cup having a u side wall with an internal shoulder and an exj ternal valve face, said side wall having ports therethrough'separated by leg-like side wall portions, a member closing the open end of the cup having legs bottomed on said internal shoulder, and means projecting from a leg of said member straddling a leg-like side wall portion of the cup to hold fthe cup and member against relative rotation. i

8. In a valve assembly, an inlet chamber, an outlet chamber, a rst valve chamber communicating with the inlet chamber, a second valve chamber communicating with the outlet chamber, a valve seat between said first and second valve chambers, a hollow relief valve assembly slidable in said valve chambers communicating with both valve chambers and having an external valve face cooperating with said seat, a by-pass valve in said assembly separating the interior of the relief Valve into two compartments each communicating with a valve chamber, a spring casing defining a`spring chamber, a diaphragm separating the spring chamber from the valve c hambers, a spring in said spring chamber acting through said diaphragm on said relief valve assembly to urge the assembly toward said seat, and a washer in said first valve chamber covering a part of the diaphragm to control the size of the effective area of the/diaphragm for balancing the effective area with respect to the valve assembly area.

9. In a pump valve assembly, a Valve chamber 'with a 'valve seat, a relief valve assemblyvmovably operating in said chamber toward and away from said valve seat, a at diaphragm cover for said valve chamber, and a spring acting through f said diaphragm on said valve assembly, a rigid annulus fixedly mounted in said valve chamber covering a portion of said diaphragm t0 control the size ofthe effective area of the diaphragm for balancing the effective aiea. with respect to the valve assembly.y

RUSSELL R. CURTIS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record' in the 111e of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number Name Date Johnson --1 Aug. 22, 1939 Whipple Sept. 26, 1939 Johnson Apr. 9, 1940 Johnson Nov. 18, 1941 Briscoe ..1 `lDec. 2, 1941 Eshbaugh Dec. 16, 1941 Curtis Jan. 6, 1942 Schlosser Sept. 1, 1942 Davis Oct. 20, 1942 Heiser May 4, 1943 Games May 18, 1943 Roth .Mar. 28, 1944 Caserta.4 July 11, 1944 

